near to Manchester, Great Britain

Rochdale Canal under Piccadilly

The walkway alongside the Rochdale Canal under Piccadilly.
Walkway alongside the Rochdale Canal at Piccadilly.

Since 2003 a colourful mural brighten up a dark corner of the Rochdale Canal. For many years, the tunnel below Piccadilly, which includes Lock 85, had been a neglected and menacing area. In readiness for the re-opening of the whole Rochdale Canal, the tunnel area was improved, with better lighting, dark recesses blocked off by panelling and a new walkway avoiding the need to walk around the edge of the underground area. The new mural brightens the panelling.
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The massive mural, sited along the side of the tunnel, close to Lock 85, was designed by canal boat painter Philip Speight and undertaken by members of the city centre business and residential communities as part of the Manchester Waterways Initiative.

The mural celebrates in art the cultural heritage of Manchester, from the industrial revolution through to the Commonwealth Games. Its centrepieces are renditions of the Commonwealth Games 2002 logo and the canal boat 'Manchester Rose 2002', emphasising the importance that year played in rejuvenating the city's 20 mile waterway system. Link

The Rochdale Canal runs for 33 miles between Manchester and Sowerby Bridge in West Yorkshire, UK. In Sowerby Bridge it connects with the Calder and Hebble Navigation. In Manchester it connects with the Ashton and Bridgewater Canals.

The canal was opened between Sowerby Bridge and Todmorden and from Manchester to Rochdale in 1799 and between Todmorden and Rochdale in 1805. Most of the canal was closed in 1952. Restoration work began in late 1980s and by 1996 the canal was opened to navigation once again between Sowerby Bridge and the summit level. The canal was re-opened to navigation along its entire length in July 2002 and forms part of the South Pennine Ring.